Elisabeth Farnese

Elisabeth Farnese (25 October 1692-11 July 1766) was Queen consort of Spain from 24 December 1714 to 9 July 1746 with King Philip V of Spain. She was the de facto ruler of Spain from 1714 to 1746, and she governed as regent from 1759 to 1760.

Biography
Elisabeth Farnese was born in Parma on 25 October 1692, the daughter of Odoardo II Farnese and Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg. In 1714, she married King Philip V of Spain, and she became Philip's confidant. She played a key role in eliminating the French faction at the Spanish court, and she supported the enforcement of the Spanish presence in the Italian states. During the War of the Quadruple Alliance, Queen Elisabeth herself took command of a Spanish division in the Pyrenees and resisted the French Royal Army's invasion. From 1759 to 1760, she served as regent between the reigns of the late Fernando VI of Spain and Carlos III of Spain, and she died in 1766.